School of Physics and Astronomy

Research Fellowship Opportunities

The School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester welcomes applicants for a wide range of independent research fellowships.

We welcome enquires from internal and external candidates to join the team in the School of Physics and Astronomy, working to attract prestigious national fellowships for independent research. We can offer guidance on the application, proposal, and interview process, putting you in contact with previous successful candidates, groups connected to your proposed research, and our research services team (RED) to assist with grant submission.

  • Opportunities: the University subscribes to Research Professional, where you can sign up a regular alerts for opportunities, and UKRI also maintains a “Funding Finder” page.
  • Enquiries:  Informal enquiries may be made to relevant members of Leicester’s research staff. If you are unsure who to contact, please reach out to the Director of Research (leigh.fletcher@le.ac.uk) in the first instance.
  • Timescales:  We encourage you to begin assembling your proposal ~3 months before the due date, working with our administrative team to develop budgets (these must be submitted for approval 15 working days in advance of the deadline).
  • Demand Management:  Some fellowship schemes have strict quotas on the number of applications that can be submitted (STFC, Leverhulme, etc.) - see below for details, statements of interest will be requested several months before the calls close.

Postdoctoral Fellowships

Independent Fellowships

  • NERC Independent Research Fellowships [April] - 5-year fellowships for those without a permanent academic position, in areas including atmospheric sciences and earth observation.  
  • UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships [June] - 7-year fellowships to help the next generation of researchers, tech entrepreneurs, business leaders and innovators, open to early-career researchers and innovators who are either transitioning to or establishing independence, or developing their own original and ambitious plans within a commercial setting. There is a strict quota on FLF submissions, statements of interest are typically due in October the year before - please contact us for further details.
  • Royal Society University Research Fellowships [September] - 8-year fellowships for those without a permanent post but with 3-8 years of experience post-PhD.
  • Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowships [September] - 10-year fellowships for those with 10-20 years experience post-PhD.  
  • STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowships [October] - 5-year fellowships in astronomy, solar and planetary science, particle physics, particle astrophysics, cosmology, accelerator physics, and nuclear physics. A school quota applies, so please see below for details of the internal application process (starting in June).
  • EPSRC Open Fellowships [No Deadline] - 5-year open fellowship applicable across the whole portfolio of physical, engineering and energy sciences, for applicants with several years of post-PhD experience.  
  • Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships [October] - 8-year fellowships to support those who require flexible working patterns, for those without a permanent position but with up to 6 years of research experience post PhD.
  • European Research Council Grants:  5-year opportunities to fund you and a research team in the School of Physics and Astronomy, including Starter Grants (€1.5m, 2-7 years post-PhD, deadline in October), Consolidator Grants (€2m, 7-12 years post-PhD, deadline in January), Advanced Grants (€2.5m, >12 years post-PhD, deadline in August), and Synergy Grants (€10m for teams of 2-4 institutions).

STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowships

STFC Ernest Rutherford fellowships provide 5 years of external funding, supporting researchers across Physics and Astronomy. The Ernest Rutherford fellowships are intended for early career researchers who do not have an academic position. As STFC operate a quota system (a maximum of four can be submitted by candidates through Leicester), we follow the process below to ensure that we can select candidates of the highest quality.

Expressions of interest (Deadline: 26 June 2025)

  • The ERF 2025 call will open in June, with full details available on the UKRI Funding finder webpage.
  • Expressions of interest (EOI): We have adopted the STFC standardised format for mandatory expressions of interest, consisting of:
    1. vision and approach;
    2. capability to deliver;
    3. career development;
    4. top 5 publications to date.
    Use of the EOI format is mandatory, no other form of CV will be considered.
  • You must nominate a Leicester mentor to provide you with peer review and guidance – this can be any member of the academic and research staff with knowledge of your research area, and it would be sensible to discuss the project with them in advance.
  • In particular, your proposal and résumé will be judged against the five categories in the STFC competency framework. Please ensure that your EOI demonstrates these competencies directly.
  • EOIs must be sent to the Director of Research (leigh.fletcher@le.ac.uk) by 5.00pm Thursday 26 June.
  • This EOI will be assessed by a panel representing the astrophysics and planetary science research groups, including current and former holders of STFC fellowships. Successful applicants will be informed as soon as possible after 10 July and confirmations required back from applicants no sooner than 18 July (this is mandated by STFC).

Full proposal preparation (July-September)

  • Draft proposal: We recommend that you have a draft prepared for your science mentor in the week commencing 1 September, to enable helpful peer review.
  • UKRI application: Create a UKRI funding service account as soon as possible to begin preparing your documents and proposal sections.
  • Internal approvals: Leicester use the WorkTribe package to prepare proposal submissions, and this will be set up on the applicants behalf as soon as you confirm that you’ll be preparing a proposal. You will need to liaise with our group administrators to prepare the budget for approval, and we advise you to do this as soon as possible. Costings must be submitted through Worktribe 15 working days in advance of the deadline, on 10 September.  You can then continue to revise your scientific application on the UKRI funding service, while the Research Team at Leicester perform checks and approvals on your budget (these will be submitted for head-of-school approval no later than 24 September).
  • Submission: You must submit your final proposal through the UKRI funding service by 9.00am on 29 September (and earlier if possible). This comes back to the research services team (CSEPAC@le.ac.uk) for final review and submission to STFC by 4.00pm on 1 October.

What we are looking for

We are looking for evidence for excellent science from an excellent candidate, with a well written and convincing science case that can be understood by someone who isn’t in the same field as you.

Remember that the STFC panel may have only one person (or fewer) with expertise in your area, so you must demonstrate the importance of your proposed project for a broad audience. Your proposal will likely be viewed by one of three panels – Near Universe; Exoplanets and Solar System; or Extragalactic (Leicester has expertise in all three).

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